I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 258 Societies and the Most Popular Writers

To be honest, Mikhail was only a dabbler when it came to business. In order to turn his business plans into reality, he actually spent a lot of time studying how to do business in this day and age.

For this reason, Mikhail actually consulted his teacher Balzac, who had frequently started and failed in his entrepreneurial ventures. After all, experience is experience, and listening to his advice can help avoid some troublesome things.

However, the problem with seeking Balzac's advice was that he would often slap his thigh mid-conversation, looking utterly frustrated, and say, "So close! I was so close to succeeding! I guess I just lacked a bit of luck, otherwise I would have been rich long ago!"

Whether he'll get rich is unknown, but he's certainly stubborn.
In addition, Mikhail did hire several professionals to handle some matters and impart some experience.

What surprised Mikhail the most during this process was undoubtedly his sister's progress and performance in this area.

Putting everything else aside, at least they've managed to organize a fairly large tailor shop in a very orderly manner, and it's indeed running in the direction Mikhail had hoped for.

It's worth mentioning that, thanks to Mikhail's outstanding performances in Paris and London, as well as some of his more avant-garde fashion concepts, his store has truly secured a place in London today, to the point that competitors are even inquiring about what new designs he has launched.

Of course, it's not accurate to say that he made a lot of money from this shop, as the expenses were indeed considerable. To outsiders, Mikhail's shop was more like a charity than a tailor shop.

What kind of boss would hire so many young apprentices and even provide them with some education?
Mikhail made this arrangement for two reasons. First, he clearly couldn't be a qualified capitalist, especially in this day and age. Second, as his sister said, he needed to cultivate some trustworthy people. If Mikhail had to do everything himself, he probably wouldn't have any free time in the future.

If there is any higher goal, then Mikhail simply hopes to pass on some things, and it is always a good thing for more people to try to change the things around them, and even more things, little by little.

But then again, with so many people, wouldn't it be necessary to simply organize something? So Russia did one, France did one, and Britain did one.
Pooh!
What am I trying to do?!

However, it must be said that in the turbulent 19th century, forming societies was a very common phenomenon. The most famous example is Freemasonry, which initially recruited nobles and social elites and had a significant influence on the Enlightenment. Historical figures such as Voltaire and Washington were members of Freemasonry.

Then there are the Italian secret revolutionary organizations, the Carbonari and Young Italy, and the French secret society. Napoleon III supported the Carbonari uprising when he was still a passionate young man.

In addition, there were the Friends of Athens Society, Young Germany, Young Poland, Young Europe, and the First International.
Associations were even more prevalent in the fields of literature, art, and science.

In this situation, people like Mikhail, who don't mingle much with various factions, are actually in the minority.

Mikhail could only say that he found it hard to imagine what role he could play within an organization or faction.

However, such an important matter should be discussed later.

After spending two days in Paris taking care of some matters, Mikhail naturally headed back to London.

Judging by the timeline, Mikhail's factory in the UK should be basically completed by now. The next step is to consider how to conduct promotional work.
While Mikhail was pondering these things, he soon re-entered the foggy city of London.

Strictly speaking, Mikhail's time away from Britain was not long, only about a month at most. If it weren't for the inconvenience of transportation in Europe at that time, Mikhail's efficiency would probably have been even faster.

In such a short time, there shouldn't have been much change in London, but when Mikhail arrived in London and bought a few newspapers, a news article in one of them immediately silenced him.

This newspaper mainly publishes various interesting articles, and the title of the article Mikhail saw was:
The romantic creation of British gourmet Mikhail: Stargazing Pie

Mikhail: “?”

Do the UK have food critics?
As for the specific content of the article, it is roughly about the trouble caused by Mikhail's loose tongue some time ago:
"Recently, a peculiar dish has appeared in the eastern district of this city. It is both intriguing and appetizing. It has an extremely romantic name: Gazing at the Stars."

It is said to have been invented by the rather creative gentleman, Mikhail, author of "A Study in Scarlet." At first glance, this pie doesn't seem particularly special, but several golden-brown roasted fish heads peek out from the crust, all facing upwards, as if devoutly gazing at the stars.
Many readers of *A Study in Scarlet* have already tried the dish and given it high praise, saying it's a delicacy only the creator of Sherlock Holmes could have invented.

Mikhail: “?”

Is it because Sherlock Holmes would even praise such food?

you guys
I approve of you.

After reading this part, Mikhail suddenly felt a little hungry. When he walked along the familiar road to his usual snack stall, he was stunned.

In his memory, Old John's roasted potatoes sold quite well, but how could so many people crowd in front of his stall if it was just potatoes?
However, Mikhail quickly understood what was going on when a worker came out excitedly carrying a package of fish and chips wrapped in paper.

And just as Mikhail had predicted, old John, a rare man of action, began making the fish and chips Mikhail had mentioned the very next night after he made up his mind.

Even though his wife, out of fear of the uncertain new things, said to old John:

"My God! Why did you coat the fish in flour? What a waste! And all this oil, how could you put in so much? Potatoes, and potatoes, you cut them into big chunks, those workers and messy Irishmen only like big potatoes, the bigger the better!"

They won't pay you a single penny for potatoes cut into chunks!

But old John ultimately stuck to his idea and produced a batch of fish and chips.

Initially, however, not many people chose fish and chips because of their relatively high price. But once someone tried it, they immediately found the combination increasingly delicious, and soon Old John reached the peak of his career.
Mikhail can only say that potatoes are hard to dislike, especially after being fried. Such high-calorie foods are more likely to win the favor of workers who do heavy physical labor.

Just as Mikhail was slightly stunned, Old John had already spotted the very conspicuous Mikhail through the crowd.

Upon seeing this true gentleman, old John immediately forgot about his business and hurriedly waved for Mikhail to come over to him.

His actions undoubtedly surprised and astonished the workers present.

How could an ordinary peddler possibly know a well-dressed gentleman and even wave him over? When Mikhail actually arrived, Old John's enthusiastic introduction only made the workers more incredulous:
"Gentlemen, this is Mr. Mikhail, the true inventor of fish and chips!"

How could a seemingly respectable gentleman create food that is so popular among the lower classes?

While others were thinking this, old John, while serving Mikhail a plate of fish and chips, happily told him about his upcoming plans:

"As you can see, business is pretty good right now. Sometimes I'm even too busy to keep up. I'm planning to let my younger brother do this too; he just lost his job recently."

Fish and chips family?

As Mikhail received the items, he chatted with Old John for a bit with great interest. However, not wanting to delay Old John's business, Mikhail soon stood aside with the items.

Just as Mikhail was about to find a suitable place to eat, he suddenly overheard something familiar in the workers' conversation:
"Is the latest issue of A Study in Scarlet going to be on sale soon? It's really too expensive. I'm going to go to the tavern early to get a good seat."

"Then you'd better get there early, especially on the day the latest issue comes out, there won't be a single seat in the tavern! You won't be able to find a suitable spot even if you try to squeeze into a crack!"

"Sherlock Holmes? The author always stops at the most crucial point! If he keeps doing this, God will surely punish him!"

Just like in the last episode, while everyone was discussing what exactly happened in this case, where was Holmes? He had just said, "I have no intention of hurting your feelings, but I must make it clear that I believe the official detectives are no match for them, which is why I did not ask for your assistance."

Then he suddenly wanted to go on a trip. After finding a coachman, he suddenly said: Let me introduce you to Mr. Jefferson Hubble, the murderer of Zeppelin and Stanjadson.

How did this terrifying Sherlock Holmes manage to catch the murderer in such a complex situation? I still haven't figured it out! Discussions with others haven't yielded any results, and the author just won't reveal the answer directly, instead turning around to tell the culprit's story. But all I want to see is Sherlock Holmes!

"I can't figure it out either, but since none of the gentlemen in the newspapers can come up with anything, I'm even more eager to see the mystery revealed."

"You mean that detective novel? It does sound like a great story. If we had that kind of power, the Scotland Yard police would definitely come knocking on our door! But sometimes I actually prefer the versions that have been adapted by others, hehehe."

"The adapted version? Where did you buy it?"

Although Mikhail also wanted to borrow a phone to speak, he had to give up because others lowered their voices when they got to that part, and continued to read the latest newspaper while eating what he was eating.

Mikhail could obviously get a lot of information he wanted from the newspaper. Just like the workers had just discussed, the contents of the previous issue of "A Study in Scarlet" had caused quite a stir.

After all, just when readers were completely confused, or even thought the case would become more complicated and convoluted, the amazing detective Sherlock Holmes actually arrested the murderer!
But even though they had already caught the criminal, they refused to explain the basis and process of their reasoning, and instead started telling the criminal's story!

This design undoubtedly dissatisfied many readers, but perhaps it was because of this pause that many readers began to speculate on how Holmes discovered the murderer.

The speculations I saw in Mikhail's newspapers alone included, but were not limited to, the idea that Holmes smelled the killer's scent, or that Holmes actually knew the killer all along.
These speculations, though exceptionally bold and unreliable, undoubtedly took the discussion of Sherlock Holmes to a new level. After the publication of the previous issue of "A Study in Scarlet," a discussion article appeared in the newspaper almost every few days.

It's worth mentioning that almost everyone, after the discussion, ended up denouncing Mikhail at the end of the article.
Mikhail: “.”

Well, just you wait and see, the next two episodes will still be about prisoners!

Strictly speaking, *A Study in Scarlet* is indeed somewhat loosely structured, with the stories of Holmes and the criminals split almost evenly. While the criminals' stories are well-written, this arrangement might not be ideal for readers who prefer Holmes.

In short, Mikhail did make some changes to this part, making the prisoner's story more condensed and compact, but even so, there will definitely be one or two more installments of the prisoner's story.

So Mikhail decided not to read the comments for the next two episodes. As long as he doesn't read them, no one's threats can hurt him, cough cough.
With these thoughts in mind, Mikhail soon arrived at publisher Sanders's place, ready to discuss the next Sherlock Holmes series with him. After all, "A Study in Scarlet" didn't have much content, and Mikhail could now start considering whether to serialize another novel or several short stories.

Upon seeing Mikhail for the first time, Sanders practically jumped up from his chair. He rushed over and grabbed Mikhail's arm tightly, as if afraid he would suddenly disappear. Then, almost with tears in his eyes, he looked at Mikhail and said:
"You're finally back! I've been living in fear these past few days, and the thought that you might not come back was unbearable!"

Mikhail: “?”

If you're reluctant to give up the sales generated by Sherlock Holmes, just say so!
These words sent a chill down one's spine.
"Yes, I've brought over a novel manuscript."

Mikhail shook his head, somewhat speechless, and then took out a manuscript from his bag.

When Sanders eagerly took the manuscript and looked at the headline with anticipation, he saw that it read:
The Final Case.

Sanders: "???"

This is nothing! How is this already the final case?!
"Oh no, I took the wrong one."

Realizing something was wrong, Mikhail quickly withdrew the manuscript and then produced another one.

This time, however, Sanders didn't rush to take it. Instead, he stared intently at Mikhail, took a deep breath, and then extended his fist, saying:

“Mr. Mikhail, for the sake of the pound, please keep writing! Burn that evil ‘Final Problem’ already! God won’t allow such a manuscript to exist! Just thinking about how you actually wrote ‘Final Problem’ makes me breathless!”

Believe me, if you keep writing Sherlock Holmes, you'll definitely be one of Britain's most popular authors!

I know this much better than you do.
Due to a typo, Mikhail could only offer an awkward but polite smile before promptly steer the conversation elsewhere:
Have you seen the recent newspapers? I'm planning to write another short story.

(End of this chapter)